crystal red shrimp eggs don't hatch after 4 weeks

futron · Post by **futron** » Tue Jun 13, 2006 8:24 am

a month ago i was so excited to see three of my CRS holding eggs
thinking that i'll see my first generation of baby shrimps in 3-4 weeks time
but now it's been 4 weeks ... the eggs are still ... eggs ...

according to a formula given to calculate the time to hatch
they should be swimming or resting happily around the peat moss ...

but it's overdue for 4 days now ...
the eggs are all turning from deep red to a very weak pink
i wonder if the eggs won't make it ...

any thoughts ?

thanks

PS: some data in case it helps

temp = 24-25 degreeC
pH = 6.4 - 6.6
GH = 2
KH = 1

badflash · Post by **badflash** » Tue Jun 13, 2006 8:45 am

I think you should just hand in there. In my experience, if the eggs die, they are removed. The color change normally means hatching is near.

tapmxt1 · Post by **tapmxt1** » Tue Jun 13, 2006 9:10 am

When the eggs turn to very light color (from dark red to light pink), the eggs are able to hatch. You can expect the babies in the next few days.

If you take a close look, you should be able to see eyes of the babies.

futron · Post by **futron** » Wed Jun 14, 2006 7:45 am

thanks guys ...

another day gone, and none come out ...
did you guys ever have such experience that multiple mothers carry eggs that won't hatch at all ... ?

well, it they don't make it and still stuck under the belly
are they going to affect the molting of the mothers ?

badflash · Post by **badflash** » Wed Jun 14, 2006 11:24 am

If they molted with eggs, they would come off with the shell, so don't worry.

Neonshrimp · Post by **Neonshrimp** » Wed Jun 14, 2006 3:02 pm

Please keep us updated and post pics is you can. I hope everything turns out good.

Thanks.

futron · Post by **futron** » Tue Jun 20, 2006 9:41 am

guys ! guess what !

5 weeks, it actually took 5 weeks ?!

the 3 mothers gave birth to a total of some 2 dozens tiny red dots
they're so tiny that each of them spans over just a few peat moss leaves

and quite a sad fact, many of them didn't pass the most critical first 24 hrs of their life ...

the next day there are only 5-6 left ...
3 of them with bright white triple bands across the body

and the mothers raced to kick off their old "skin", i can almost feel how much they want to get out of the old shell, grin

despite all the complications, i'm thrilled

badflash · Post by **badflash** » Tue Jun 20, 2006 10:45 am

How reliable is you pH reading? If you are using strips or drops you can easily be .5 off and that ends up killing the babies.

tapmxt1 · Post by **tapmxt1** » Tue Jun 20, 2006 1:13 pm

Do you see the dead babies? You should be able to find the dead babies. If you do not, it is possible they are just hidding.

If your water is extreme clean, their survival rate will be very low too.

If you do water change, you want to drip the water in slowly. If you pour a cup of water (aged water) in, ... that is the simplest way to reduce the population of your crystal red shrimps (for cherry red shrimps, they will be just fine).

If it took 5 weeks, your water temporature might be lower than what you thought. I had verified the formula:

days = 63 - 1.6 x Temporature (in C)

I think this formula is very close to the actual hatching days I had experienced (only 1-3 days difference -- but this might be due to the unstable temporature). My tanks at at 76-78 degree (F) and the eggs for my crystal red shrimps take about 3 and half weeks to hatch.

futron · Post by **futron** » Wed Jun 21, 2006 8:47 am

guys, one of the 3 mothers, is carrying eggs again

badflash, the pH reading is taken by an electronic pH meter, so i think it should be accurate

tapmxt1, you're right, today i see more than 11 babies, hopefully there are some more hiding

the water temperature is kept at around 24.5 by a chiller in summer and a heater in winter

and the formula that i used is the same as yours

one thing that i should mention though ...
some 2 weeks ago, there was quite a major water change (50%) due to a sudden drop of pH caused by a reason i still don't know ... (any thoughts on this ?)
perhaps this will delay the time to hatch ?

so, for the new eggs, i will put in jun 21 and 24.5 degree C to the formula and get 24 days as the answer, which is jul 15
i promise i'll keep all conditions as constant as possible
let's see how they hatch by then

btw, i've taken some photos of the babies, i'll post it after figuring out the steps ...

futron · Post by **futron** » Wed Jun 21, 2006 9:06 am

here we go ...

a baby CRS (a few days old)

on day one the baby was no longer or wider than one of the 4 tail blades of an adult

a growing CRS (about 2 cm)

unfortunately i never have a chance to see an adult resting next to a baby
but these two shots are done at about the same distance, hope this gives a feeling of how small the baby is

badflash · Post by **badflash** » Wed Jun 21, 2006 2:26 pm

Nice! Just keep doing what you are doing! I'm sure more will come out of hiding in a few days.

Neonshrimp · Post by **Neonshrimp** » Wed Jun 21, 2006 4:57 pm

Nice pics and great shrimp. The babies will be coming out to feed and just explore soon. Good job!